MOKE QUEER CRAZES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1898, 19 June 1890, Page 35

MOKE QUEER CRAZES.

The vagaries of the diseased mind are unaccountable. Here there is novelty — constant novelty, if it may be found nowhere else. Giabowski, a Pole, who recently died in a Paris hospital, believed himself to be a millionaire and a philanthropist. He was constantly instructing his attendants to forward large sums to this or that charity, and in his will bequeathed 500,000 florins for the publication of a newspaper in various languages, 100,000 florins for the erection of a monument as a memento of the gratitude felt towards France by Polish refugees, and 200,000 florins for the continuation of Lind's Polish lexicon. Unfortunately he died without a sou.

The other day a poor fellow turned up at a Pari3 bank, and demanded 80,000fr in exchange for a cheque. The cashier naturally wished to see the cheque, whereupon the poor demented one waxed very indignant, buttoned up his frock coat, and shouted, " How dare you speak like that to the Head of the State ? I was made President of the Republic four days ago, and of course I want some money before I take up my abode at the Elysee 1 " The invisible cheque was not cashed.

For a very different purpose was a visit recently paid to the Bank of England. The visitor, a respectably attired, gentlemanly person, in loud tones denounced the cashiers and clerks as ♦• usurers and thieves," and distributing various pamphlets bearing upon " the infamous national sin called interest." In the writer's opinion every person who received or paid interest ought to b6 denied Christian burial. His friends promised to look after him.

Dr Magnan, of Paris, has given some curious particulars of insanity among antivivisectionists. One elderly lady passed the greater part of her time in the streets, picking up bits of glass, nails, and other objects likely to hurt the feet of horses or dogs. Did she observe a person take the last cab from a rank, she would violently upbraid him for his inhumanity in using a horse that had only just returned from a journey. She often fainted when she heard the oraok of a cabman's or carter's whip, and spent large sums in granting superannuation allowances to old horses and dogs. Unfortunately her benevolences did not extend to the human species. She never relieved human suffering in any way. All her sympathies were with the brute creation, and her fellow men and women were so many tyrants undeserving of life.

Another opponent of viviseotion directed her energies towards cats, and had a hospital where sick tabbies were supplied with beds, blankets, and savoury food. She also had no sympathy for her fellows. Another anti-viviseotionist female became a vegetarian, and deolined to eat the flesh of animals. Her hobby was to go every morning to a certain slaughteryard and roundly abuse the slayers of oxen. Two policemen on duty near the Trocadero observed a well-dressed man moving suspiciously near a group of ladies waiting for an omnibus. Seeing him brush up against a girl one seized him, while the other asked the girl if she had lost anything. Bhe replied in the negative, but, putting her hand to her head, exclaimed, " Yes ; my hair 1 " She had worn it braided into a "pigtail." The prisoner was taken to the station, where he gave his correct name and address. On his rooms being searched a large quantity of specimens of hair of all shadeß was found. The man turned out to be a lunatic with a craze for collecting hair by hook or by crook, but chiefly by the aid of a sharp pair of scissors.

"Five hundred tickets for Teheran!" shouted in stentorian, tones, awoke the station master at Asnieres the other night. The official hurriedly dressed himself, and went to look at the loud voiced traveller, who stated that he was the Shah of Persia, that 500 of his loveliest wives were cooped up in the waiting room, and that a telegram should at once be sent to the President of the .Republic for a Bpecial train. The station master telegraphed — for assistance.

"A Lunatic's Kiss" would not be a bad title for a shilling shocker; but when the crazy one indiscriminately kisses every pretty woman he meets, the shocks are not appreciated. This was the offence for which a man was arrested near the Palais Bourbon recently. He turned out to be an escaped lunatic whose mania had taken this form. He was removed from temptation.

Margaret Hearn discovered at a street cori ncr a "Jacob's Ladder" painted red, and promptly ascended it. Her vain endeavours to get nearer the clouds than the height of the fire escape permitted attracted the at*

f tentionof a police constable, whof etched her I down. She was exceedingly wroth that the fire escape was so short ; had it been longer, she informed the officer, she would have got to heaven, whither she wished to go. A young Dutchman went to a fancy dress ball attired as a rather shabby and secondhand Prince Fortunatus. The clothes and excitement combined so affected him that, believing himself a genuine prince, he visited Buckingham Palace and demanded admission, stating that he had come to take possession of the palace, where he had dined the previous evening. He was removed to a non-palatial building near at hand, where, having discarded the attire of the fortunate prince, he came to his right mind.